Leader of the Opposition in Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, launched a sharp attack on the ruling Congress government

Shimla, August 11 –
Leader of the Opposition in Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, launched a sharp attack on the ruling Congress government, accusing it of misleading the public with false guarantees to capture power and now backtracking on those very promises, thereby insulting democracy.

Thakur alleged that during the Assembly elections, Congress leaders made grand promises under the banner of “10 guarantees,” but after coming to power, they have distanced themselves from them. “Congress has stolen the mandate by lying. This is a betrayal of democracy, and Congress has mastered this art,” he remarked.

He claimed that in its two and a half years in office, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government has acted contrary to the promises it made. Citing examples, Thakur said the government that promised five lakh jobs and one lakh recruitments in its very first cabinet meeting has instead abolished 1.5 lakh posts and terminated the services of over 15,000 employees. The previous BJP government’s provision of 125 units of free electricity was scrapped, despite Congress having pledged 300 units free.

The assurance of providing ₹1,500 per month to women, Thakur said, turned out to be the biggest lie. He added that the Swavalamban scheme, aimed at promoting startups, was shut down. Farmers, who were promised ₹100 per litre for milk, are now struggling to receive timely payments. He further alleged that the Chief Minister himself admitted in the Assembly that he never promised to provide one lakh jobs.

Thakur also stated that the Congress manifesto has been gathering dust since the party came to power. He demanded that Congress apologise to the people of Himachal Pradesh for what he termed a betrayal. “These promises were made solely to grab votes, and have now been exposed as outright theft of the people’s mandate,” he concluded.